Wednesday, March 25, 2015

So lets start with my Waiting on Wednesday. I love doing this meme every Wednesday. "Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted @ Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're anticipating.

THIS WEEKS BOOK I'M EAGERLY WAITING FOR IS...

For readers of Cassandra Clare's City of Bones and Leigh Bardugo's Shadow and Bone, The Girl at Midnight is the story of a modern girl caught in an ancient war.

Beneath the streets of New York City live the Avicen, an ancient race of people with feathers for hair and magic running through their veins. Age-old enchantments keep them hidden from humans. All but one. Echo is a runaway pickpocket who survives by selling stolen treasures on the black market, and the Avicen are the only family she's ever known.

Echo is clever and daring, and at times she can be brash, but above all else she's fiercely loyal. So when a centuries-old war crests on the borders of her home, she decides it's time to act.

Legend has it that there is a way to end the conflict once and for all: find the Firebird, a mythical entity believed to possess power the likes of which the world has never seen. It will be no easy task, but if life as a thief has taught Echo anything, it's how to hunt down what she wants . . . and how to take it.

But some jobs aren't as straightforward as they seem. And this one might just set the world on fire.

WHY I'M WAITING...

UHM. YES PLEASE. With the release date so close at hand (and in my birthday month), I had to have this book on my Waiting on Wednesday post. The idea behind this YA dystopian book series is captivating, and I really have high hopes for this!

I'm at that point of excitement where i'm already dream casting the characters (It's sad, I know). BTW, I'm not sure if it's just me, but can you see Cameron Bicondova from Gotham as Echo? I know, I know, I'm lamely drawing comparisons of the characters characteristics from the summary but It just clicks in my mind so perfectly. So that's my Wednesday post, is The Girl at Midnight in your TBR pile?

WHAT DO YOU THINK? HAVE YOU HEARD OF THE GIRL AT MIDNIGHT? LIKE THE COVER? WAITING FOR IT TO COME OUT?
LEAVE ME YOUR WAITING ON WEDNESDAY'S POST IN THE COMMENT'S BELOW!

In the three kingdoms of Mytica, magic has long been forgotten. And while hard-won peace has reigned for centuries, a deadly unrest now simmers below the surface.

As the rulers of each kingdom grapple for power, the lives of their subjects are brutally transformed... and four key players, royals and rebels alike, find their fates forever intertwined. Cleo, Jonas, Lucia, and Magnus are caught in a dizzying world of treacherous betrayals, shocking murders, secret alliances, and even unforeseen love.

The only outcome that's certain is that kingdoms will fall. Who will emerge triumphant when all they know has collapsed?It's the eve of war.... Choose your side.

Princess: Raised in pampered luxury, Cleo must now embark on a rough and treacherous journey into enemy territory in search of magic long thought extinct.

Rebel: Jonas, enraged at injustice, lashes out against the forces of oppression that have kept his country cruelly impoverished. To his shock, he finds himself the leader of a people's revolution centuries in the making.

Sorceress: Lucia, adopted at birth into the royal family, discovers the truth about her past—and the supernatural legacy she is destined to wield.

Heir: Bred for aggression and trained to conquer, firstborn son Magnus begins to realise that the heart can be more lethal than the sword....

MY THOUGHTS:

I'm so happy to say that I finally read Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes. And, I must say, WOW!

For those who don't know, this is a high fantasy type series which follows the fall of the Limerian Kingdom and the battle for power. We view this in the perspective of four young adults within the three kingdoms. There's Chloe, Princess of Auranos; The Paelsia Princes and Princess, Magnus and Lucia; and a Limeros peasant, Jonas. There is more narratives of minor characters within the story, too.

Chloe: At first, Chloe was deemed unlikeable when I started reading through her perspectives. I mean she was bratty, lacks a bit of common sense and got herself into trouble. More towards the end though, Chloe's character develops and we can see a kick butt character forming underneath. Her story line was super interesting too, She not only has an internal battles with herself but also an external one. She deals with Aron forced fiancé) whom is blackmailing her and has a murdered a wines sellers son causing there to be a dispute between the kingdoms of Auranos and Limeros. The only thing that felt a bit off was the bad case of insta-love that popped out of nowhere.

Jonas: Jonas is the brother of the wine sellers son who was murdered by Chloe's fiance. After seeing such a cruel act from this prosperous and wealthy kingdom, He decides to take matters into his own hand. Jonas perspective was the most interesting one out of all, I think that it's intriguing to read from the side of a person bent on revenge over one his loved ones. We see inside his mind and how he contours what really happened that day Aron stabbed his brother.

Lucia -

Magnus -

Overall 4.5 STARS! This book had me clinging to each page and now, I must find a way to get my hands on the second book.

I definitely recommend this for those who love high fantasy, action and doesn't mind a bit of character death and violence.

WHAT DID YOU THINK? HAVE YOU READ FALLING KINGDOMS? LIKE IT? LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

So lets start with my Waiting on Wednesday. I love doing this meme every Wednesday. "Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted @ Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're anticipating.

THIS WEEKS BOOK I'M EAGERLY WAITING FOR IS...

Title: The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall
Authors: Katie Alender
Published Date: August 25th, 2015
Publisher: Point
Pages: 336
ADD IT ON GOODREADS!

Asylum meets Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, in this riveting tale of ghosts, secrets, and family, from master of suspense Katie Alender.

Delia's new house isn't just a house. It used to be an insane asylum, a place to lock up "troubled" young women long ago. And a restless, wicked spirit is still at play--and it doesn't want defiant girls like Delia to go anywhere.

So the house kills her.

Now Delia is a ghost, trapped in her creepy home forever. As she meets the other ghost girls who haunt the narrow hallways, as well as the handsome ghost boy on the grounds, she learns shocking truths about the house's history. Delia also realizes that her alive and grieving sister might be the house's next target.

Can Delia unlock the mystery of the old asylum, save her sister, and free herself?

WHY I'M WAITING...

I rarely pick up books about ghosts but Katie Alender is one the few writers who makes fresh and interesting ghost stories. I LOVE that cover it's both creepy, elegant, and eerie. When I was reading in the synopsis and got to the part, "SO THE HOUSE KILLS HER" I was like WHAT?! I like that she's now a ghost and trying to save her sister of the same fate. Really want to see how that plays out :D

WHAT DO YOU THINK? HAVE YOU HEARD OF THE DEAD GIRLS OF HYSTERIA HALL? LIKE THE COVER? WAITING FOR IT TO COME OUT?
LEAVE ME YOUR WOW'S IN THE COMMENT'S BELOW!

Monday, March 16, 2015

HELLO!!! Hope you're all ready because we have a tour stop for the amazing book, The Thorn and the Sinking Stone! Keep on reading for my complete review and don't forget to enter the giveaway :) Let's go...

Daggers. Roses. Cowboys. Boat Men. Survivors of Earth's Last War, four “families” vie to rule the dreary streets of Rain City through violence and blood. Valencia Hara, Princess of the wealthy Black Roses, is raised in warrior ways with sharpened steel. But she is no ordinary Rose. She is Cursed—tainted with the ability to see seconds into the future…

To avenge his father's death, Sebastian Leold, of the rival gang Two Daggers, must face off against the Black Princess, he with his dagger, she with her katana sword. Yet a secret from a shared past leaves him unable to kill beautiful Valencia; nor can she kill him. For they once knew each other beyond their blood feud…and they have more secrets in common than they know.

But in a world filled with vengeance and violence, there can be no room for love…

MY THOUGHTS:

That was literally me after reading this book. I started and I just couldn't stop! I read through this whole thing straight. In the first few pages I was a bit confused because we're just shoved into the this scary world. But as it went along everything was explained in such a smooth and clear way.

In this kind of world violence and fights are the norm. There were a lot of tense moments and of course, lots of action filled moments. Both were handled with such care, and you could clearly envision it like a movie. The world was so detailed and quite chilling in it's ferocity of "eat or be eaten". I liked the diversity of the people and even though there was violence, they did get along.

There was also a double POV, which I love! Because we got to see everything through two perspectives SEBASTIAN'S and VALENCIA'S. A TWO DAGGERS AND A BLACK ROSE. Both of whom were on warring "gangs". I loved them both instantly, Sebastian is fierce but doesn't like killing, sarcastic, swoony, and very thoughtful (in his own way). Valencia was a strong a** bi***, honestly I wouldn't get on her bad side. Yet she had moments where she wasn't a fierce warrior but just a normal girl who got hurt and cried. Both had less than perfect families and had a lot to deal with.

I wasn't sure what their connection would be but as the story went along everything clicked into place. OMGERD, I loved every moment they were together, weather it was through fighting or fleeing, you could just feel there connection and chemistry on every word. They both warred with the hate they had to feel for each other and yet they alike in so many ways. I was such an impossible and deadly romance, that you want it to all go right!

I could ramble on and on about this book but I really don't want to spoil ANY of it for you guys! Just read it because this is honestly one the best books about forbidden love that incorporates so many other wonderful aspects besides romance. So overall for me 5 STARS!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

While attempting to navigate life as a responsible human being, CJ graduated from university with a B.Comm and worked her way along as marketer, copywriter, and graphic designer to earn a paycheck while pursing her passion for creating fantastical stories set in dark and wondrous corners of the world. Born amongst the wheat fields and open skies of the Canadian prairies, CJ’s imagination has always run wild, taking her on adventures across the world from modeling in Seoul, South Korea to backpacking through Europe and surfing (poorly) in Hawaii.

After wandering through ancient cities and civilizations, learning from diverse cultures, and surrounding herself in new experiences, CJ was inspired and began work on her debut Young Adult novel THE THORN AND THE SINKING STONE, to be published by Entangled Publishing 2014/15. CJ currently resides in Calgary, Alberta Canada – home of the Canadian Rockies – and keeps one hand on her passport and pen at all times, ready to pick up, see the world, and weave her experiences into stories.

CJ is represented by Marlene Stringer of the Stringer Literary Agency LLC.

Saturday, March 14, 2015

Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews where you show off books you're adding to your shelves; physical or virtual, borrowed or bought. Long time no see for this meme here on the blog. Exactly ONE YEAR since the last Stacking the Shelves XoX

Hello! It's me again! This time I'm super eager to share with you guys the new additions to my bookshelves. It's definitely been a good book buying/receiving week and one where I got my first signed book!

P.S. Some of these books might be a little bit busted but that's because I usually get them at the goodwill or second hand shop!

ABOUT THE BOOK...

In a village of masked men, each loves only one woman and must follow the commands of his “goddess” without question.

A woman may reject the only man who will love her if she pleases, but she will be alone forever.

And a man must stay masked until his goddess returns his love—and if she can’t or won’t, he remains masked forever.

Where the rest of her village celebrates this mystery that binds men and women together, seventeen year old Noll is just done with it. She’s lost all her childhood friends as they’ve paired off, but the worst blow was when her closest companion, Jurij, finds his goddess in Noll’s own sister.

Desperate to find a way to break this ancient spell, Noll instead discovers why no man has ever loved her: she is in fact the goddess of the mysterious lord of the village, a Byronic man who refuses to let Noll have her right as a woman to spurn him and who has the power to fight the curse.

Thus begins a dangerous game between the two: the choice of woman versus the magic of man. And the stakes are no less than freedom and happiness, life and death—and neither Noll nor the veiled man is willing to lose.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Amy McNulty is a freelance writer and editor from Wisconsin with an honors degree in English. She was first published in a national scholarly journal (The Concord Review) while in high school and currently spends her days alternatively writing on business and marketing topics and primarily crafting stories with dastardly villains and antiheroes set in fantastical medieval settings.

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

So lets start with my Waiting on Wednesday. I love doing this meme every Wednesday. "Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted @ Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're anticipating.

THIS WEEKS BOOK I'M EAGERLY WAITING FOR IS...

A teen escapes to a boarding school abroad and falls for a Korean pop star in this fun and fresh romantic novel in the vein of Anna and the French Kiss.

Grace Wilde is running—from the multi-million dollar mansion her record producer father bought, the famous older brother who’s topped the country music charts five years in a row, and the mother who blames her for her brother’s breakdown. Grace escapes to the farthest place from home she can think of, a boarding school in Korea, hoping for a fresh start.

She wants nothing to do with music, but when her roommate Sophie’s twin brother Jason turns out to be the newest Korean pop music superstar, Grace is thrust back into the world of fame. She can't stand Jason, whose celebrity status is only outmatched by his oversized ego, but they form a tenuous alliance for the sake of her friendship with Sophie. As the months go by and Grace adjusts to her new life in Korea, even she can't deny the sparks flying between her and the KPOP idol.

Soon, Grace realizes that her feelings for Jason threaten her promise to herself that she'll leave behind the music industry that destroyed her family. But can Grace ignore her attraction to Jason and her undeniable pull of the music she was born to write? Sweet, fun, and romantic, this young adult novel explores what it means to experience first love and discover who you really are in the process.

WHY I'M WAITING...

LULU:

THIS.BOOK.THOUGH.

You guys,I don't think there is a way to tell you how excited I am for the release of this book. It's like everything that is great in life is being put into one book (I got it bad ya'll!).How AWESOME does this book sound? For one, the setting is in Korea, which is absolutely amazing and a place that I've never read in a contemporary before (YAY for diversity!). Plus, there is a Korean pop star as a possible love interest. Nuff said. And now, I must wait 4 months to read this gem. Hopefully, Some of you want to read this too and we can all suffer the wait together.

Much <3, Lulu

WHAT DO YOU THINK? HAVE YOU HEARD OF HELLO, I LOVE YOU? LIKE THE COVER? WAITING FOR IT TO COME OUT?
LEAVE ME YOUR WOW'S IN THE COMMENT'S!

Monday, March 9, 2015

Remember WAY back when I was looking for a co-blogger? Well, my call was answered and I ended up with a very awesome blogger at my side. It's been a while since I've had a partner in this but I'm supper happy to have her here and revive the blog :) So please welcome her with huge hugs!!

Hey guys! I'm so excited to be co-blogging with Read-A-holicZ and I can't wait to meet some of you guys! Since we are going to be seeing each other for a while, I want to give you eleven facts about myself, so you get to know a bit better.

1. My nickname is Lulu

2. April 9th is my birthday

3. I'm a child size adult :D

4. Im a proud owner of a tiny blog (lulureads.blogspot.com)

5. I love to read YA, Adult fiction and Graphic novels.

6. Reading helps my anxiety, and also adds a bit of happiness to my life.

7. I'm in constant worry that one day my TBR while take over my room.

8. I have an obsession with getting special edition books.

9. My top three TV shows are Borgias, The Walking Dead and Game of Throne.

ABOUT THE BOOK...

Sixteen-year-old Tyri wants to be a musician and wants to be with someone who won't belittle her musical aspirations.

Q-I-99 aka 'Quinn' lives in a scrap metal sanctuary with other rogue droids. While some use violence to make their voices heard, demanding equal rights for AI enhanced robots, Quinn just wants a moment on stage with his violin to show the humans that androids like him have more to offer than their processing power.

Tyri and Quinn's worlds collide when they're accepted by the Baldur Junior Philharmonic Orchestra. As the rift between robots and humans deepens, Tyri and Quinn's love of music brings them closer together, making Tyri question where her loyalties lie and Quinn question his place in the world. With the city on the brink of civil war, Tyri and Quinn make a shocking discovery that turns their world inside out.

Will their passion for music be enough to hold them together while everything else crumbles down around them, or will the truth of who they are tear them apart?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Suzanne is a tattooed storyteller from South Africa. She currently lives in Finland and finds the cold, dark forests nothing if not inspiring.

Although she has a Master’s degree in music, Suzanne prefers conjuring strange worlds and creating quirky characters. When not writing, she teaches dance and music to middle schoolers and entertains her shiba inu, Lego.

The FTC requires me to say:

All reviews on this website are unbiased and reviewers are in no way compensated for their reviews by the author, publisher, or any other agencies. While some reviews may be based on receipt of copies or ARC copies of an authors work, a fair and impartial review is always given by this reviewer. Most of my reviews, however, are based upon books that are purchased after publication date :)